'Supermoon eclipse' will be visible across North America on Tuesday
Moon lovers have a reason to celebrate this week.
Moon lovers have a reason to celebrate this week.
A full moon on Tuesday will coincide with a partial lunar eclipse, giving people in North America, South America, Africa and Europe a chance to see part of the moon’s surface obscured by Earth’s shadow.
A partial lunar eclipse occurs as Earth passes between the moon and the sun, creating a celestial alignment that blocks sunlight from hitting the lunar surface.
The full Harvest Moon sets behind the Statue of Liberty as the sun rises in New York City on Sept. 10, 2022.Gary Hershorn / Getty Images fileTuesday’s event will feature September’s full moon, which is known as the harvest moon because it is often associated with harvest time in the Northern Hemisphere, according to NASA.
It will also be a supermoon, because the moon will be at its closest point to Earth in its elliptical, 27-day orbit. When a full moon happens to occur at the same time as its closest approach to Earth, it appears slightly bigger and brighter than the average full moon, which is why it is known as a “supermoon.”
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